Bogleheads.org

GuyFromGeorgia

I've got 3 kids under 6 so we have a long horizon. I'm doing a combination of 529 and UTMA. The 529s currently have significantly more than the UTMAs, but I anticipate that to change, maybe level off as they are in their teens. The idea of the 529 being restrictive is a good thing. And the fact that...

GuyFromGeorgia

I like Credit Karma. I have 800+ score and couldn't care less about the number itself. I like that it has a little bit of a "light" credit monitoring. For instance, if I open a new credit card, I get an email notification from CK. Same if something closes. That's nice. I login a few times a month an...

GuyFromGeorgia

I would pay out of pocket. Premium rates going up for 3-5 years will cost you more than $1600. Also, if you were to be in another accident, you run the risk of having them drop your coverage all together. At that point you'd be forced to get the high-risk plans like from the General and you'd be pay...

GuyFromGeorgia

I'm glad to see other people upset at this article. I started to write something earlier but it got me frustrated and I took a coffee break. My one thing to say here is that I guess the kid isn't on a soccer or baseball team. At $200/yr clothing budget would get blown up having to buy jerseys. Serio...

GuyFromGeorgia

Any suggestion on college? We will be pretty stretched with the savings goals outlined for this year. Is it appropriate to throw anything beyond the NYS limit for 529 pre-tax to fill up post-tax 401k for mega ROTH conversion to ROTH IRA? Is it true that IRA contributions can be used to supplement c...

GuyFromGeorgia

Another mid-30 year old tech sales person here. I can definitely say it is a lucrative career, but it has been frustrating at times. The big take away for me, at least at my company, is that the RSUs really start to play a big role in total compensation once you hit the higher pay brackets. My total...

GuyFromGeorgia

People seem very skeptical of MC simulations. Garbage in, garbage out. Past results mean nothing going forward. Do you really believe that there is no effort on the part of those that create the financial MC at, say Fidelity, are wholly lacking in finesse and integrity that they create an MC model ...

GuyFromGeorgia

One thing to keep in mind is that Monte Carlo simulations are used to provide confidence bands. You are 95% likely to live out x # of years with a Y% safe withdrawal rate. probability does not equal actuality. In engineering you are taught fairly early that everything has a tolerance and everything ...

GuyFromGeorgia

I do some of both. For me, it is about the percentage of company stock relative to my net worth. I try to keep vested stock <=5% of net worth, though sometimes it gets up to 7-8%. I never let it get above 10%, EVER. The interesting thing is that as I get older, my net worth continues to get signific...

GuyFromGeorgia

Others are better than me when it comes to taxes. I say save as much as you can and I've always done MFJ without any consideration. I don't know how it works having dual insurance. Ultimately, having a baby will put you into an out-of-pocket max situation. Add that to the annual premium and choose t...

GuyFromGeorgia

jehovasfitness wrote: ↑
Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:48 pm

David Jay wrote: ↑
Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:46 pm
Only if I replace a suspension component (tie rod end, etc.) or when I see uneven tire wear.

I do never done it on a scheduled basis.
this.

That or if the car doesn't drive straight

I agree. New tires or you notice a drift. For me, I usually get 20-30k miles out of an alignment.

GuyFromGeorgia

I like this option a lot. One of my concerns with getting a mortgage was having large fees upfront for something that we might pay off in a few years. It sounds like I could settle for a higher interest rate with lower upfront fees? I was not aware you could do something like this. Absolutely. I've...

GuyFromGeorgia

I would prioritize maxing out all retirement accounts first. I would then look at other ways to save, such as HSA. I would put 20%-50% down on a 30 year note. If the spread between the 30 year and 15 year is more than 0.5% and I felt comfortable cash-flowing the difference (not needing to sell stock...

GuyFromGeorgia

The worst thing about temporary corporate housing, if you move all your documents (registration, license, etc) and financial information to that address is that it shows up on your credit report. And for the next 2-4 years, maybe longer, every time you fill out a form they want to know that address....

GuyFromGeorgia

Check and see if you can find a dealer that is part of the Costco car buying network. The price would be negotiated for you. You pick color, trim/package, etc and then you should hopefully get matched with a dealer.

GuyFromGeorgia

I was very much leaning no until I saw your current equity. financing 400-500k is just fine.

GuyFromGeorgia

Curious why you're not doing more employer contribution to 401k in the s-corp option. Should be able to do 25% of earnings up to the max of $53k. I would think you'd be right at $47,500.

GuyFromGeorgia

I agree that it is all relative. "How am I doing?" .....in what regard? To being able to retire? start a family? take a year off work to travel? being able to retire early? My question on your break down is: Why do you not have more money in your Roth? That's less than 2 years of contributions.

GuyFromGeorgia

The nanny tax threshold is on a per-person basis for household work. I don't remember the number, but it is a couple/few thousand per person. If you have a reasonable expectation that you will be below that threshold for the year then you should ignore it. That said, if you are expecting regularly s...

GuyFromGeorgia

I picked up a side job a while back at a high-end butcher shop. I found it quite rewarding, learned a ton, and it helped stimulate my cooking hobby. Additionally I was making money instead of spending money.

GuyFromGeorgia

I'm struggling to find evidence of ambition here. There's lack of follow-through, lack of commitment, lack of faith in your endeavor. I'm not bashing, but I'm with one of the previous posters that said you need to find out what you want in life. Work sucks, the goal is to find something that is tole...

GuyFromGeorgia

Bonds aren't for bull markets, they are for when the Bear creeps in. Let's say you instead had a 90/10 AA. That 20% differential of your total assets might have been a few thousand, maybe tens of thousands of missed upside. But don't forget that you had 70% of your assets increase over the last few ...

GuyFromGeorgia

Understand your concern. This is the point of an asset allocation. If you cannot stomach dropping 80k into a 1.3M total portfolio (~6% of net worth) into the same AA then you've got the wrong AA. As you age you need to continue to question if you're in the right percentage. Don't do anything hasty, ...

GuyFromGeorgia

Good job. I actually have had similar savings numbers to what you show. The other big thing that I was able to do was add to my emergency fund / cash reserves. Also, I've spent much of the year slowly transitioning from a 80/20 to a 75/25 AA.

GuyFromGeorgia

Neither. Vanguard total stock market index VTSAX. You could pick either NVDA or JNJ and win, or you may lose, but holding a small number of single stocks is a gamble. Bet on the market as a whole and invest with an appropriate asset allocation. That said, if this is fun money / gambling money and is...

GuyFromGeorgia

If that $10k is your whole emergency fund then I would hang on to it, or at least most of it. Instead of trying to increase your savings each month, maybe contribute the extra toward the car loan. I'd hate to pay off the car and then have to come up with $2000 to fix something.

GuyFromGeorgia

The upside for stocks is around 5% a year (Vanguard just warned about this) and the downside over those 5 years is probably 50%. The upside to Bitcoin is >1,000% and the downside is 100%. The asymmetry of that math is what this is about. I agree with you on your next 5 years. But look out 15 or 20 ...

GuyFromGeorgia

I've spent 100+ hours with the Simba backtesting spreadsheet and Portfolio Visualizer. My analysis runs to 1871. (Had to convert years to months and back again to test in PV.) There have been a number of periods where a stock/bond portfolio, real returns after adjusting for inflation, had catastrop...

GuyFromGeorgia

30sept16 - Curious when you switched to the cash/CD and Bitcoin AA you have. How much of the recent run-up have you missed out on? When the previous person said you'll be worse off with this strategy, they are indicating that you're missing out on potential gains. Sure, the market might tank tomorro...

GuyFromGeorgia

Tried to replicate your math. The ~$1800 savings is for both you and your wife. If it were just you, it would be $880 by your math (220 days x $4). But that's in today's dollars. If you go back 22 years and you only had a $2 savings then it is a lot less. Assuming a 3% inflation in the savings and a...

GuyFromGeorgia

OP, If you've put $1k in every month for all of the 56 months your kids has been alive, I would think you would have more than the $51k you currently have. What are you investing in to have taken a loss in this bull market? The 529 should be at $80-100k if you've been putting $1k in every month.

GuyFromGeorgia

For me, I do keep a small amount of vested RSUs. I like waiting for them to transition to long-term. It is all about how much am I keeping relative to my net worth. You're on pace to get about $25k next year. How much is that relative to everything else? If you have a NW of $50k, that's a big deal....

GuyFromGeorgia

For me, I do keep a small amount of vested RSUs. I like waiting for them to transition to long-term. It is all about how much am I keeping relative to my net worth. You're on pace to get about $25k next year. How much is that relative to everything else? If you have a NW of $50k, that's a big deal. ...

GuyFromGeorgia

If you go to Colorado Springs then I'd highly recommend driving to the top of Pikes Peak. This is #1 for all of my visitors.

GuyFromGeorgia

Shop around. Esurance is who was able to provide me the best rates currently. I wouldn't say your rate is cheap, but it sounds reasonable. That said, I pay that for lots of coverage (500k) and two new-ish cars. The amount of coverage, do you have any claims or tickets, and things like that all play ...

GuyFromGeorgia

I would also recommend using the 15 year loan monthly payment in both schedules just so you are comparing apples-to-apples. I agree. You can also change the starting loan amount if, for example, you finance the cost of opening the loan instead of having the no-cost option. You can see what the brea...

GuyFromGeorgia

I think 4.5% is on the high side of a no-cost loan. I agree that you should shop around and try and find something a bit lower. As for moving to a 15 year option, the difference is the difference in the interest rate. Say it is 0.75%. Your first month, when you have $190k outstanding, that differenc...

GuyFromGeorgia

I did the math a couple years ago and came up with a 8-10 year breakeven point. That was assuming that I would pay cash and isn't taking into consideration opportunity costs (what the money could be doing in the stock market, etc). I would have pulled the trigger if it were 5-6 years. I cannot guara...

GuyFromGeorgia

I did this not long ago. I took a 401k loan and put 10% down to secure being able to buy the house I wanted. I refinanced 3-6 months later into a 80% LTV traditional mortgage after the old house sold and I got my equity back. I paid off the 401k loan aggressively over 6-12 months. It is a little mor...

GuyFromGeorgia

For those saying you hit 100k and then 10 years later you are at 500-900k? I am only investing an additional $500-600 a month. I am only working with about 30k income before taxes. I can live off of it and am content. How are you able to build your wealth that fast? Where do you have it invested? I...

GuyFromGeorgia

I was 31. 5 years later and I'm approaching 900k. Savings will only take you so far. Focus on generating the best income to match your work-life balance.

GuyFromGeorgia

I agree with one of the previous posters in that the new car won't be much bigger than what you have now, also likely not much more safe. I recommend keeping the cars you have for your first kid and see how you feel once you have a second kid. I've got 3 kids and wish I could have stayed put as we w...

GuyFromGeorgia

The feel of a Lexus and the feel of a BMW/Audi/Merc/Porsche are apples and oranges. To me, a Lexus feels like an overpriced Toyota, which is basically what it is. I wouldn't be caught dead in a Lexus personally... People are very opinionated about Lexus. I agree with your first statement about the ...

GuyFromGeorgia

Had a Nissan Murano S for a few years. The seat bracket broke at like 40k miles. It wobbled and leaned back and to the left. Who knows what would have happened if I had gotten in a wreck. While fiddling around I noticed the actuators were installed on the seat for the full 8-position movement - they...

GuyFromGeorgia

The benefit of being young is being able to relocate. Easier now before you have kids in school. That said, yes, cut a run. You guys have great career opportunities across the US. Keep Colorado in mind, or maybe even GA. Nashville is gorgeous and is a top 10 pick for me. I recommend renting until yo...

GuyFromGeorgia

Check online. This is a good one, though they don't do free returns if it doesn't work out (you're responsible for delivery charge). Others such as Helix do allow for completely free returns.

http://www.saatvamattress.com/saatva-mattress.html

GuyFromGeorgia

Valhalla, thank you for your service. You're in a tough spot. Keep your head up. When you do go for the new car, I agree that you should get something with a little upside so as to finance it for a bit more. When you go to finance it, check out PenFed for some great low rates. Being Military, you ca...

GuyFromGeorgia

If your goal is to get rid of PMI, that's fine, but I wouldn't get into a 5/1 ARM. Get a fixed rate 30yr or 15yr note.

GuyFromGeorgia

I have only limited feedback for you. I am a HW engineer and it took me 8-10 years before I got up the curve for income. I was constantly frustrated in those early years and nothing but time resolved it. The most frustrating thing is that I was very ambitious. For me, at about the same time that I s...

GuyFromGeorgia

There's a lot here that I still don't understand. The house was financed in 1999 to have the 2029 expiration. Maybe it appreciated a bit in the early years, but wow, either it went up a LOT or the interest rate is crazy high. The fundamental issue you're having is cash flow. Refinance to a 15 yr mor...

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